Police sergeant sues city

A Newport Beach Police sergeant who has worked for the department for 25 years is suing the city, alleging that superiors discriminated against him because he made numerous complaints against other officers.

The suit, filed Friday in Orange County Superior Court by Neil Harvey, also alleges that he was harassed and was not promoted because he was single and colleagues thought he was gay.

Newport Beach City Manager Homer Bludau said that at the city’s request, over the last year an outside investigator has looked into Harvey’s complaints that he didn’t receive deserved promotions and that his perceived sexual preference led to discrimination.

The investigation was concluded about three weeks ago, and “none of his allegations could be substantiated,” Bludau said.

Attorneys for Harvey could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

Harvey’s suit asks for an unspecified amount of money to cover pay and benefits he would have earned if promoted, pain and suffering he says he experienced, and punitive damages against the city.

The filing details complaints Harvey lodged against other officers that led to investigations and sometimes firings. Among the complaints, Harvey said other officers performed unreasonable search and seizure, falsified a report, stole his notes from an investigation and treated female personnel unfairly.

Harvey also alleged that Newport Beach Police Chief Bob McDonell, who will retire in June, questioned him repeatedly about his marital status. Department employees spread rumors about his sexual orientation and insulted him about it, with one telling him not to buy a house in Laguna Beach because of rumors that he was gay, according to the lawsuit.

In 2004 Harvey received the department’s medal of valor for saving a woman from a burning home in an October 2003 fire.